Kim Smith, 50, of Hartland, Vermont, worked at the post office, and police said complaints from residents about possible mail tampering dated back to August.

Plainfield Police Chief Paul Roberts said he worries there could be more victims. He said that as soon as the story got out, he was flooded with phone calls from people saying that their family and friends never received the gifts they had sent.

"When I think of stealing money from kids in their Christmas cards and birthday cards, I see nothing but evil," Roberts said.

Police said residents started complaining that their mail had been tampered with, so surveillance cameras were put in the Meriden Post Office, which serves Plainfield. The cameras rolled for two weeks while Smith worked.

"The minute she puts them on the table, she goes through and takes individual pieces of mail and holds it up to the light or feels it with her fingers, manipulating it with her fingers," Roberts said.

Police said Smith can be seen opening envelopes, taking out cash and pocketing it. They said she uses a glue stick to reseal the envelopes and send them out.

Roberts said the target was gift cards and cash. In one instance, $9 that a woman sent her grandson for his birthday was taken, police said.

"She took the money out of that and sent the card through the mail and kept the $9 dollars for herself," Roberts said.

Roberts said Smith has cooperated and turned over 17 gift cards and a couple hundred dollars.

According to court paperwork, Smith told police that she started stealing in September and has done it more than five times. Police said she also admitted to stealing up to $150 at one time and using some gift cards online.

Roberts said she didn't have an explanation.

"She said she just didn't know," he said. "She just didn't understand why she did that."

Roberts said Smith is a part-time flexible employee who travels from one post office to the next as needed. He said other police departments are investigating to see if they have similar crimes in their towns.